


Of Monsters and Mines

by Yakule



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Industrial Revolution, F/F, Gen, Graphic depictions of violence - Freeform, Human/Monster Romance, Other, Racism, Sexism, Sexual Content, Strong Language, eventual monster sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-01
Updated: 2016-11-01
Packaged: 2018-08-28 08:46:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8439091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yakule/pseuds/Yakule
Summary: It's the mid 1800's and the Industrial Revolution is in full swing when Jasper gets an odd promotion at the copper mine she works at.Meanwhile Lapis is a lake monster who just wants everyone to leave.Things go downhill from there.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I had a trashy idea and Smilo (big-buff-tigress.tumblr.com) enabled it and helped in a big way and helped co-author it in a big way. Tonight is a very spoopy Halloween indeed.
> 
> Warning: This fic contains sensitive content. If you are uncomfortable by unhealthy dynamics, love/hate relationships, graphic violence, strong language, sexism (1800s were bad times), implied racism (once again cause 1800s were not good times), monster/human sex, or just jaspis in general, then this fic may not be suitable for you. Read at your own risk. Thank you.

She never stood out more in her life. With Greg’s uniform ruffling against her body, people looked at her as if they just witnessed pigs taking flight. Concerned workers murmured to each other, while others laughed assuming it must be a joke.

As she trekked through the mill’s bustling crowd, a co-worker pushed his way to her. “Hey, Jasper, where’s Greg?” he shouted over everyone’s heads, grin on his face. “Wearing a dress?”

“Broke leg on the job. Not coming today,” Jasper said back, gesturing over the uniform she was wearing.

The coworker laughed at first, then the realization hit. His face paled as he looked her up and down, eyes wide.

“Better get used to it,” Jasper grinned, toothy and taunting, willing him to make a smart comment. When none came, she continued on. “See you in the shaft.” She ignored the concerned reactions to anyone listening, pushed through mass of workers, and headed to Marty’s office.

Passing by her coworkers was her least favorite part.

“Poor girl,” she heard a fellow woman say. “The manager’s making her work underground.”

“How cruel! Is she really going follow such a thing?”

“You know she is.”

Jasper rolled her eyes at their pity.

Above the cold metal ladders stood the manager’s door. Marty’s office was situated in the higher floors of the mill- an eagle’s eye view that could look down the conveyor belts. Jasper leaned against the railing as she waited, and watched people roar the mill to life as the new day began. If it wasn’t for Greg’s injury yesterday, she’d be down in the processing area, where the other women worked. It was only by sheer luck that Greg had managed to get away with only a broken leg.

The only part of the mine that couldn’t be seen from here were the mineshafts, since they were underground of course. She could still barely digest that she was about to see it.

The door clicked open behind her, and Jasper immediately turned, straightened, alert. “There’s my first lady miner!” Marty welcomed.

“Happy to be so,” Jasper replied, no more friendly than need be.

“With Greg out of commission, we’ll be relying on you.” There was that tone she hated, the needling, weasley voice of his that was far too pleasant to have any real sincerity behind it. “Can’t be a man down, especially with winter starting to come in. We’ll have to make every blast count.” 

He didn’t care whether or not a woman worked for him. Not because he believed in equal opportunity, but because having money in his pocket was more important. Being a man down might mean less people to pay, but it also meant less time spent doing actual mining and making money. 

Money grubbing sleazebag.

“Anyway, they’re waiting on you to bring blast caps down to shaft 6A. They’ll fill you in on what to do there, now go make me some money.” It was all the dismissal that Jasper needs to get going, though judging by the initial look he’d given her, she was sure she was going to need a hot soak after the day. And not because she’ll be covered in dirt and grime from the drift either.

Jasper nodded at his words, burying her spite deep down. “I’ll do my best, Sir,” she said.

“Good to hear it,” Marty said, slapping a pale and spindly hand on her shoulder. It’s baffling that someone as twiggy as him is richer than this whole town. He stepped out of the office and tacked down the hallway with her close to his side. “Now come follow me, my lady, to show you your guide.”

“My guide?” Jasper asked.

“You’re gonna need one,” Marty said. He turned to face her; wrapped his claw-like fingers around the ladder railing. “Especially with all the bullshit going on. Now come on, time is money!” He hurried down the ladder with her.

She listened as he continued. “Now I never got to see it myself because I don’t go down there, but I’ve been getting a lot of complaints. Cave-ins, all my shit breaking. Even the old...entrance to the mine thing...”

“Portal,” Jasper corrected.

“Whatever you folks call it. It collapsed, couple days ago. The fault was soggy rotten timber, and now we gotta replace it. If it wasn’t for all the good copper over here, I’d never run this business next to a damn lake.”

  


Jasper was silent, but only because there wasn’t really anything to say. She’d heard from Greg, things going missing, things breaking. Probably because Marty’s just a cheap ass who isn’t buying them good equipment, only second hand things to save money.

“Must be tough,” Jasper said.

“More like aggravating,” Marty groused.

_ Whatever you say, genius. _ That was the unnerving thing about this man- he had complaints, but somehow talked as if hardships didn’t happen. She wondered if he even cared about the death count of this job (that wasn’t stemmed from losing money).

They exited the mill, and Marty scrutinized the ground as they crunched to the mounds. He took careful steps to keep his shoes clean. Jasper looked past her shoulder to see the lake shimmer in the sunrise. The water’s stillness masked the busy work happening beneath it.

The lake they worked beside was huge. It could be mistaken for an ocean- water stretching endlessly; couldn’t see the other end of it. She heard people call it the biggest lake in the world, and she wasn’t surprised. She lived in Michigan for two decades now, and had only seen a small part of Lake Superior.

His bitching about mines and lakes and whatnot halted as they approached the mining portal. It was a hole, supported by timber frames, carved right into a hill. Like a cave, but darker; more geometric. “Here it is,” Marty said. “You’ll be going through here. Hey, Peeds!”

A feeble boy with scruffy hair, sitting at the entrance, jolted at Marty’s shout. The kid’s eyes widened immediately, and he stumbled briskly to the two.

“This is the Jasp you’ll be touring around,” Marty said, slapping a hand on her once again. He did this a lot; Jasper wondered if he’d ever stop...or if she’d have to break his hand to get the point across eventually.

The kid was awestruck. With his head leaned back, he peered up at Jasper as if he were seeing a city tower for the first time. “O-oh uh…” The kid stammered, searching for the right word. “N-nice to meet you…Jasp..”

“Jasper is fine. I’m not fond of nicknames.”

“Cool. I’m Peedee.”

“Looks like you two are getting along. Whelp, I should get going now, but I’ll be counting on you two! Work hard.” Marty finished his so-called pep talk and turned to face the mill. He leaned up to Jasper’s ear. “He knows where to go, just follow him around and you’ll be fine.” He descended back on his heels and walked away.

The kid, who must’ve been fourteen at the very most, juggled for words as he watched Marty shrink from view. He turned back to Jasper, eyes facing the ground, and spoke each word slowly as if his life depended on it. “Y’know, seeing you work at the conveyors, I knew you must’ve been tall. But in person, you’re…” He looked at her, face suddenly brightened in unrepressed awe. “You’re massive!”

“That’s not a nice thing to call a women,” Jasper told him.

Peedee’s face fell. “Oh. I-I-I’m sorry, Ma’am!” Jasper laughed and ruffled his hair.

“Nah, I’m just messing with you. Thanks. Not all women are lucky enough to be six-eight.”

“Six-eight?” Peedee cocked his head beneath her large hand.

“Six feet, eight inches tall.”

_ Wow…  _ Jasper heard Peedee say under his breath, and she barked out another laugh, removing her hand from his head and back to her side. 

“I believe you’re showing me where to go?” 

Her words seemed to finally snap him to attention, and he nodded eagerly, near falling over himself as he turned towards the portal. “This way, ma’am!” Cute. Polite for a kid. Not nearly as underfoot as her nephew.

The tunnels, as Jasper expected, were dark and damp, and the air tasted of earth and rotten wood. Despite the conditions, her heart pounded in chest; she could feel her pulse in her ears. She’d never been allowed in here; never expected it. It was never fit for a woman, not even one like her- not until now.

The further they went in, the more sunlight vanished. Everything gradually got more illuminated by candles, which were nailed to timber posts that marked the walls. Before Jasper knew it, the flickering flames became the only source of light.

“Oh, I almost forgot. You might need one of these. You can use it.” Peedee rustled through a small bag attached to him, and pulled out a helmet. “The candle’s already attached, you just gotta light it.”

Jasper grabbed the headlamp, which still carried the scent of wax. She’s seen these things before, a piece of equipment Greg used quite often. Apparently you light a candle on it and it helps you see, without you needing to carry a candle yourself. “Very responsible, thanks,” she said with a smile.

A sheepish grin formed on Peedee’s face, as he rubs the back of his neck. “Yeah. I like to be…prepared,” he said.

They descended further down the tunnels, not saying much aside from a few small talk. Turns out the deeper they go, the more compressed paths become, and the more Jasper had to duck. She tried not to think about the backache she’ll likely feel next morning.

Before Peedee completely closed the bag, Jasper caught sight of some wheat and vegetables. You can’t exactly farm underground or eat on the job, so she connected it to the only other logical option. “That for the ponies?”

“Oh yeah, that’s what I do mostly, taking care of them,” Peedee said. He stopped in his tracks. “Wait…you know about the ponies that work down here?”

Jasper huffed. “’Course I do. May not have seen them myself but I’m not blind to how mines work,” she scoffed to him, somewhat unintentionally, and then instantly regrets it. She’s worked at this mine for a decade now, and hated comments like these. The scorn being directed towards the boy, however, was not something she ended up taking pride in.

She noticed Peedee’s cheeks pinking in embarrassment, and she wished she hadn’t. She cleared her throat. “So, the manager says you know a lot about the place,” she quickly brought up.

“Yeah, I get sent around a lot. I’m small, so I fit in a lot of places and-”

“PEEDEE!”

Jasper and Peedee look up to see someone scrambling down the tunnel. A man reached them, stumbled in front of them, catching his breath. Wheezed for a minute while the two watch him in confusion, then stands up straight again. “What the hell happened?!” he spat.

Something brushed against Jasper’s leg- it’s Peedee, stepping behind her slightly. “I…what?” Peedee said. “I’m trying to escort someone-”

“That’s not what I mean, you idiot!...Wait, isn’t that the woman that dumbass Marty assigned?” the man said, staring at Jasper. He shook his head, getting back to the point. “Whatever, I don’t care about that! You’re coming with me!” He grabbed a fistful of Peedee’s shirt and forced him forward.

A frightful squeak emitted from the boy’s throat as the man started dragging him down the tunnel, and Jasper couldn’t help but step in front him. “What do you think you’re doing?” she said. “He’s working with  _ me _ right now.”

“Beat it, lady. This place ain’t safe for you. This is men’s work down here.”

“I don’t think you heard me.” She stood straighter in the tunnel, cutting a rather imposing figure in the dim lighting. “He’s working with me right now. Whatever you need him for can  _ wait _ .” Her tone was cold and completely no-nonsense. Her bicep was bigger than his head, and if he starts a fight, Jasper will end it. The longer she’s not mining, the less money she gets paid. Also she supposed that she felt a small bit of protectiveness over the scrawny kid showing her around.

The man, completely cast in her shadow now, stumbled for words. “I…” He looked shaken at first, but quickly recovers and held his ground. “I guess I can see why Marty chose you. You got a strong vibe, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good thing. You ain’t gonna survive a day in here, and if you want to learn it the hard way, then so be it.” He threw Peedee to her. “You take her where she needs to go,” he told the kid. “But when you get back, you’re cleaning up the horses.”

A jaded sigh escaped Peedee. “I know, I know. I know what to do...”

“Do you really?” the man said, stern and irritated. “Not  _ clean _ the horses. Clean up their bodies.”

  
  


\--

  
  


Every pony in the stable was dead.

The moment Peedee learned about it, he rushed to the scene as fast as he could. Jasper, to her dismay, had no choice but to be in tow. Hopefully this wouldn’t take long.

The amount of gore and horse parts strewn about was… Well, unpleasant. It looked like every last one of them had their entrails ripped out, deep lacerations and bite marks marking their bodies. A wild animal attack, undoubtedly.

“Yikes. You think there’s an animal in here?” one of the men said.

“Obviously there’s an animal,” another man snapped. “Hey kid, you didn’t see anything lurking about, didja?”

Peedee was too distraught to respond. He’d been wracking with sobs the moment he made it to the stables, and honestly Jasper couldn’t blame him. A scene like this would fuck up any kid, and even she could admit it was unsettling.

“Maybe a bear got in here. It’s almost winter, right? Coulda came in to hibernate then sniffed out the horses.”

Though that didn’t quite line up either. What sort of bear would maul six ponies in such a short amount of time and not leave any witnesses? Better yet, what kind of animal would maul six ponies to begin with and not even eat any of it?

“Could be a cougar. The claw marks look feline.”

“Definitely one of the two.”

The murmuring and speculation continued, with some not-very-veiled whispers blaming Jaspers’ presence in the mines for the tragedy. She has to resist rolling her eyes at the superstitious lot. It’s true that it was a huge blow to the mine itself, but blaming her just because she’s a convenient scapegoat is an asshole move.

Eventually someone with more authority spoke up. “Alright, start removing the remaining ponies from the mines until we can find whatever did this. We can’t afford to lose the remaining working ones.” All of those present with the exception of Peedee and Jasper scattered to take care of the issue. There was still work to be done, and securing their remaining stock took priority. “You too, kid.”

Peedee, who’d started to calm down at this point, sniffled back tears. “What about the woman?” he asked.

“You don’t gotta worry about her anymore. You,” the man pointed at Jasper. “You can leave the tunnels.”

“Afraid I can’t, Sir, I got a job to do,” Jasper told him. “I’m assigned here and so I’m gonna stay here.”

“With what happened today, we ain’t gonna risk you being here. Y’know those stories, about how women can cause bad luck when inside a mine.”

“Do you actually believe that crap?” Jasper scoffed. “I got a brother in law and a nephew to feed, and I’m gonna keep working here until Greg can get on his feet again. You ain’t gonna risk some myth, well I ain’t gonna risk  _ starving _ .”

“We will all starve if more ponies die,” the man snapped. Peedee broke into sobs again.

“STOP!” shouted another person, interfering with the two adults’ bickering. Striding into the stable was a teenager, probably nearing his twenties. He looked similar to Peedee in appearance- similar face and same scruffy blonde hair-, but the kid was bigger in build; not scrawny like the other boy. “Do not assume anymore. After I heard word of what happened, I instantly knew right away. I know the real meaning behind this.” His words dripped in confidence.

“Ronaldo?” Peedee said. “Oh God, please not now.”

“It has to be now! Before something more than equines fall victim!” If Jasper hadn’t already been as irritated as she was, she’d think this kid had some serious work ahead of him as an actor. Jasper wasn’t sure if she should humor the lad or outright leave, but apparently her choice was made for her as he continued in his overly dramatic tone.

“There’s something in the mine! Something… _ evil _ . It wants us all to leave! The missing tools and all the equipment breaking was just the beginning! A warning! And now our work horses have been slaughtered! The  _ Entity _ is clearly getting angrier with us!”

“Oh really? And what exactly is this ‘entity’?” the man asked.

“Don’t listen to my brother,” Peedee said. “He’s a bit craz-”

“I’m glad you asked, Sir,” Ronaldo said. Peedee sighed. “It is none other than a lake spirit! I’ve heard tales, where it guards all the copper! The longer we stay here, the angrier it gets! We are stealing its resources!”

“Those are just some Indian tales, son. To scare us off.”

“Says the person who just called me bad luck!” Jasper barked.

“There is logic behind that!”

“Bullshit!”

“EVERYONE!” Ronaldo pushed between them. Looks like his best job was to settle arguments…by spouting stupid shit. Not near as stupid as that other man’s accusations, though. “I can bring you… _ proof _ .”

Since he was caught up in another monologue of his, everyone stayed silent. Ronaldo walked up to the horses, prodded one of the beasts’ torn gut with his boot. “We know the Entity is within the mines with us. Judging from the size of these lacerations, it is safe to say it’s small enough to be capturable. Perhaps the size of a cougar.”

“Probably because it is a cougar,” Jasper grumbled. She grinned when faint giggles echoed. Even the man was humored.

“SILENCE!!” Ronaldo bellowed. “You-” He pointed at Jasper. “You will come with me! You don’t believe me, well I will show you first hand! Join me as I hunt for the Entity!”

Collectively, everyone rolled their eyes in response to the outburst. Everyone except Peedee, who tried to make himself smaller than he already was out of embarrassment. 

“Fine.” The other man finally gave in with an amused sort of exasperation at Ronaldo. “You,” He points at Jasper. “Go with the lunkhead. I’ll take Peedee with me back up to the top to get the others together to form actual groups. Since you’re so sure y’ain’t bad luck, prove it.”

“How the hell do I prove anything if I’m looking for something that doesn’t exist?!” Jasper snapped. After she said it, the realization sank in. “Hey, you’re just keeping me from doing anything at all! I got a job to do!”

“Everyone’s shifts are on hold until we find whatever did this,” the man told her.

Jasper opened her mouth in a retort, but she lost the argument when another person entered. “We’re evacuating,” the stranger said. “Hunters are coming in to find the animal.” Anger boiled in Jasper’s gut when she noticed the slight smirk perking the other man’s lips.

“Bring these two with you.” The man gestured at Jasper and Ronaldo. “Tell ‘em they wanna help out.”

“I’m not gonna…” Jasper stopped for a moment. If she ain’t gonna mine, then she may as well find some meat or maybe even money to take home. “Yes. Take me with you,” she corrected herself with a fake smile.

The stranger didn’t look at her. “A woman?” he asked the man. “You sure?”

“Oh please, you really think I haven’t hunted befo-”

“She thinks she can do men’s work. Just…humor her. Keep her in sight and don’t let her carry a rifle. Make sure she only stays in safe areas.”

“I’ll show you humour,” Jasper growled. That was the last straw. For someone her size, she proved to be fairly fast, as she grabbed the man by the collar and hoists him to her eye level. “I’ve had enough of this bullshit, and the longer we screw around, the less I’m gettin’ paid. You’re going to give me a rifle. And you’re going to get me one so I can hunt down this whatever and get back to work.” 

“Y- Yes, Ma’am.” Good. She’s apparently put the fear of God into this idiot, and with that settled, she dropped him to the floor, and leveled a look at everyone else. “Anyone else got a problem with me getting back to work?”

Silence.

“That’s what I thought. Now go get me a rifle.”  
  


\--

  


“You don’t have to do this, you know.”

Jasper and Ronaldo were escorted to a group of hunters. Some were called down from town, but most were miners themselves, who ran to the work residency and came back with hunting gear. Spare rifles were handed to those who didn’t have any, and Jasper was one of them.

Jasper took the rifle from the other person’s hands. “It’s fine, thanks. I’ve hunted stuff before anyway, birds and whatnot. I think I can handle shooting a cat, bear, whatever it is.”

“Birds and cougars are not the same thing.”

“You’re right. One’s a bigger target,” Jasper said, giving a dismissive scoff. “A cougar or a bear will be easier to shoot than a bird.”

Disapproving and concerned mutters filled the air around her, but she tried not to focus on it. She glanced at the sun- last time she saw it, it was touching the lake’s surface, but now it sat above the trees. She could’ve earned at least a few cents by now if it wasn’t for that stupid animal attack.

The men gathered outside the mine’s entrance, as orders were shouted, what to do and where to go. She didn’t even hear her name, but men were already filtering into the tunnels. Eventually it was just her, Ronaldo, and a few other people.

“Are you the woman Marty assigned to work down here?”

Jasper looked over her shoulder. It was a balding man, with a big fluffy yellow beard. He was recognizable, probably one of Greg’s friends, but she admitted to never talking to the guy herself. “Yup, that’s me,” she said.

“How did that happen?”

Jasper sighed. “Greg broke his leg- he’s my brother-in-law,” she added. “Marty didn’t have anyone to take his place, so he chose me. Says I’m the ‘manliest’ of the women; the best man replacement…It’s a compliment to him, I guess.” She rolled her eyes. “At least it’ll pay the bills though while Greg can’t.”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

Jasper snorted at his apology. “It’s fine. Obviously I’m fine with it, or else he wouldn’t’ve chose me,” Jasper said. “I can handle whatever this place throws at me.”

His gaze fell on the rifle Jasper held. “So you’re joining the hunting party too.”

“May as well. Never shot a predator before, but hey it’ll sure tell a story if I do.” She laughed, waving her free hand. “The headlines would be a real kick, that’s for certain.”

“You can join my group if you’d like. I’d feel a lot more comfortable having someone as capable as you.” He smiled, polite in the fact that he didn’t share the same reservations about a woman around as the rest of the miners.

“Sounds like a plan,” Jasper said.

“Excuse me, but I must join too,” Ronaldo barged in.

Jasper fought back the urge to groan. Of course. She was assigned to this moron. There’s no way for her to simply ditch him regardless of how much she wanted to. 

And of course, true to his nature, Ronaldo continued on, not daunted in the least by the withering looks he was given. “As an expert on this beast...” Jasper had to resist barking out laughter at the comment, and she was sure that the others had to too. “It is my job, nay, my  _ duty _ , to keep everyone here safe. And to do that, we’ll need to-”

Jasper tuned him out with a roll of her eyes, and soon enough they were moving, with Ronaldo droning on in the background about the proper way to hunt this whatever it was. 

The kid probably never held a gun a day in his life.

Jasper, Ronaldo, and the bearded man (who she learned was named Yellowtail, much like the color of his beard), were assigned to the deepest parts of the shaft. Unlit blastcaps filled the walls, and freshly abandoned equipment littered the ground. She had to light her headlamp, since no candles were on the walls yet.

“We may not find anything here, but it’s best to look around,” Ronaldo preached. “This place was just occupied, so the Entity might be in here...looking to shed the blood of many.”

“I hope somebody’s blood gets shed,” Jasper grumbled. She assumed the other two must’ve heard her, since their heads both angled in her direction. It wasn’t until she followed their gaze that she realized they were focusing on the ceiling.

“Didja hear something?” Yellowtail whispered.

Then Jasper heard it. Faint pitter patters from the walls. Then cracking, then rumbles. It was right above them.

“The monster!” Ronaldo gasped, angling his gun. Yellowtail swiftly yanked it out his grip.

“Cave-in, you nut, it’s a cave in!”

“We gotta get outta here,” Jasper said. She instinctively shielded them both and nudged them backwards.

Ronaldo squirmed away. “No!” he said. “It’s here, I know it’s here! It wants to kill us, but that’s how we can-”

“You dumb shit, I said get outta the-”  _ CRACK! _ Right above Ronaldo’s head, the ceiling broke open.

Jasper dropped her gun and rushed forward, pushing him away. Rocks tumbled onto her, and pounded on her headlamp. “ _ SHIT! _ ” she spat, struggling to hold the ceiling’s weight. “Where’s the dumbass?!”

“Unconscious, but he’s fine. Bleeding a lot from his head,” Yellowtail said from behind her. “Here, let me help-”

“No! Don’t come closer, you’ll make it worse. It’s still coming down, it’s gonna-” The sound of thunder slammed down from behind her, as more rocks squeezed her beneath. “ _ FUCK! _ ”

She had to let go. She had to get away before she ended up crushed beneath the rubble.

Sparing one second to pray to God, she let go of the rocks, and tumbled forward.

Rocks crashed behind her. They fell like a wave at first, but then they stop rolling down. She wheezed a breath of relief as she collapsed to her knees, still shaking. She laid down for a minute, and felt her eyes droop close.

  


\--

  


_ Urg… _

Jasper’s consciousness started to fade back to reality. Her body was sore, but it wasn’t anything problematic.

She pushed herself up. Her foot kicked against a pile of rocks, and she remembered what happened. A cave-in… she must’ve got knocked out somehow.

It took a moment to realize she couldn’t see anything, and she almost had a heart attack.  _ Fuck, did I go blind?! _ She patted around the candle part of her headlamp, desperate to find the heat of a flame. All she felt was the remains of hot wax that was now rough with loose pebbles and dirt. Whelp, the cave-in definitely put the flame out. At least she wasn’t blind… hopefully.

“Yellowtail! Yellowtail, are you there?!” Jasper cried. She clawed at the soil and rocks. “Can you hear me?!”

Silence. She waited, but still no answer. She trembled against her heartbeats.  _ Fuck, fuck, oh my God, fuck, fuck, fuck… _

_ What if they’re dead? _ Her stomach dropped. She chewed on her hand, not caring about the blood she was now able to taste. What if the cave-in was wide enough to hit the two?  _ Right after I said that bleeding shit to Ronaldo. Fucking shit, FUCK. _ Her breathing hitched. She couldn’t see anything, but the world was spinning.

_ Okay, okay, calm your shit, Jasper, _ she coached herself.  _ Panicking ain’t gonna help shit.  _ She sat for a moment, taking deep breaths, but not for too long. There was still work to do.  _ Alright, now how to get outta here? _ She impulsively looked around, before remembering bitterly she couldn’t see a thing.

Wait, that’s right. There are tools in here. She’s just gotta feel for one and then she can dig herself out. Alright, good plan, now where the fuck is one?

She patted the ground, crawling about looking for something, anything, that felt like a man-made object.

Something touched her hand. Cold. Wet.

_ What the fuck? _

She pressed it, fingers into the wet soil. The freezing water flowed over her hand, making her fingers numb.  _ Am I under the lake? _

Jasper strained her hearing, trying to listen to see if the cavern was flooding or if the ground was just soaked before she got trapped. Silence was all she heard, before the faint sound of rushing water filled her ears. Far away, down another drift, possibly.

Even if far away, it’s still concerning, when her only exit that she knew of was blocked off.

She exhaled slowly.  _ Alright, Jasper, _ she told herself, trying to steel herself against impending panic.  _ You can deal with this the same way you’ve dealt with everything else: brute force always works. _ She needed to dig herself outta here, but first...

She clicked her tongue, letting herself climb to her feet, using the wall as a guide for the moment. If water was coming in, then she just has to find the hole and seal it, stop more from getting in and buy her some time. Then, she can plow the fuck outta here.

As she made her way down, she let her mind wander. With nothing to look at, she occupied her mind with something she  _ could _ look at; something that wasn’t there.

Eyes were weird in the dark. When they couldn’t see a thing, they’d make up stuff for you. Jasper ended up regarding the illusions- faint swirling shows of make-believe light, swimming in her vision. She probably wouldn’t have been aware of such a thing, if it weren’t for her sister bringing it up one day, when her sister was still alive.

_ Jasper, what do you see when you close your eyes?  _ Rose asked.

_ Uh…nothing? _

_ Really, cause I see all sorts of colors. The whole rainbow, twirling and dancing beneath my eyelids. _

_ That’s crazy talk. _

She chortled. _ No, really, try to focus on it. No, you gotta cover your eyes all the way, make it pitch black. I learned about it today, it’s called ‘phosphenes’. _

_ Huh. I guess I do see something weird. But you’re still weirder, Rose, what the hell. _

She snapped back to reality.  _ What the fuck? _ A prominent phosphene paced back and forth in her vision. It was a faint bluish sort of glow: typical spots of light, not bright enough to define anything but themselves. The part that weirded her out the most, though, was that they didn’t swirl or glide like the other phosphenes did. They just moved back and forth, like some sort of animal.

Did Rose ever mention before that phosphenes could do that? She couldn’t remember.

_ Splash. _ Jasper’s head bolted up. That wasn’t from her.

_ Splash splash splash. _

_ Fuck. Am I going…? _ No. She heard it as plain as day. It’d take more than a couple minutes to lose sanity in the dark, anyway.

**_Splash splash splash splash splash splash splash splash splash._ ** The blue lights blurred as they got faster, grew bigger, got closer.

“F...fuck.”

Maybe Ronaldo was right. Jasper was sure that with the way the glow was moving, that it had to be alive. Phosphenes, her ass. Phosphenes don’t move closer like this, nor make noise.

At the very least, she could tell where the thing was.

The glow stopped, momentarily, and moved closer to the ground.

And then it lunged, hard and fast. Jasper got knocked onto her back. Water splashed around her; the air knocked out of her lungs. Then it loomed above her, and the thing,  _ demon, it has to be, _ attacked. She could feel it, the claws sharp as a butcher’s knife, slicing into her.

Jasper rolled over immediately, but to her surprise the thing lurched with her. This thing was lightweight. Maybe even smaller than her.

It picked its quarry wrong.

Jasper let out a shout, nearly snarling as she winds her arm back and punches as hard as she could. It jolted against the blow, and she does it again. Keeps going until she’s got it on the ground with her weight keeping it down. Now  _ this _ is how it’s supposed to be.

The creature yowled but refused to let go. It released her with a deep tear down her forearm. At first Jasper thought it had given up, but she was wrong.

The lights inched back.

“ _ I want you…TO LEAVE!!! _ ”

The shrill voice caught Jasper off guard. The thing charged at her, and with the force of the momentum, left them both tumbling. They skidded lower in the tunnel; deeper in the water. 

Water now enveloped Jasper’s whole head. A paw slammed on her throat.

“ _ You’re dead…just like those horses, _ ” a feminine voice seethed. Then, it squeezed her.

Claws pierced Jasper’s neck immediately. More like the back of it, since the palm was busy keeping her down. Jasper thrashed to throw the thing off her again, but stopped when she could taste the water. Rusty. No longer cold, but warmer. Stickier, too.

_ Fuck. If I keep struggling, this thing’ll slice me open for sure. _

She’d have to find another way to escape before she suffocates, without those claws ripping across her throat. She patted around in the water, and found just what she needed: something flat and metallic touching her palm. She glided her hand above it and felt something even better attached to it: a wooden stick. A shovel, most likely. Good enough for her.

Jasper’s grip on the wood tightened, and she hoped the shovel was facing the right way when she swung hard. 

A satisfying clang echoed, and the pressure on her neck and chest were relieved. The animal’s grip loosened as it slumped on top of Jasper. Jasper wasted no time in climbing to her feet, and the demon slid off of her with a splash of its own.  _ Thank God. _ She has better things to do than die in some drift.

The glow remained still when she turned to check if it was getting up as well. Gentle huffs alerted her that it was still alive, but it was down overall. Hopefully unconscious.

Jasper wasn’t sure how long the demon would stay down, but she refused to stick around to find out. Still holding the shovel, she started to slosh back to the shallower areas, but was interrupted when she slipped back in the water.

So this is where the bastard got in.

Her foot got caught in some hollow part of the ground, something that felt like a burrow. She felt some claw-like incisions, and even a few stray hairs.

The animal stirred.  _ Fuck. _

_ There’s no way I’m gonna have time. I need a faster way to get out. _ Jasper noticed the hot blood gushing around her shoulders. She was already feeling lighter, and she had no way to stop the bleeding without tearing off her clothes and wasting time. She’d be out like a lamp if she sustained another maul.

_ There’s one other way out, and it’s stupid as hell, but... _

Jasper groaned at the burrow. Judging from the endless flow of water above it, this was definitely where the leak was too. 

_ Afterlife, don’t make fun of me if this ain’t the lake. _ She slammed the shovel in the dirt and pried the leak wider. The trickle turned into a gush, and what was once at her stomach was now rising to her chest. She ignored the chills biting at her. To say the water was cold was an understatement.

Once the hole was big enough, she took a deep breath and plunged in.

The burrow was suffocating, both literally and figuratively. She could barely fit, but she squeezed her way up as fast as she could anyway. Luckily the burrow was going nowhere but upwards. Her lungs were burning by the time she reached the exit.

The lake’s open space welcomed her as she burst out the opening. She sprung upward, right out the mound of dirt, and forced her impatient lungs to wait. Clouds of red trailed out from behind her as she swam. Just a little longer…getting close… 

Soon enough she got her reward. Her head broke the surface, and she immediately started gasping, swallowing the whole sky if she could. Air never tasted so good. Waves slapped her and rain pelted her face, but she didn’t give a shit. She never felt more dry in her life. She looked at the moon, savoring the sights for once. It didn’t even hit her that she’d been trapped underground the whole day.

Lightning flashed, and something dark lurked beneath her.

It charged faster out the water than Jasper could react. It was the creature, it had to be- its head emerged face to face with her own. All Jasper cared to see was its crazy, cloudy eyes, and Jasper’s waterlogged blood running off its feline features. Jasper drew her leg back and bashed the beast in the stomach. The creature keeled over, and Jasper swam away immediately.

The shore was just ahead.  A small beach, pebbly and sandy, right on the outskirts of some cliffs. That was her best bet. She’d just have to focus on getting there, and then…

A wave picked Jasper up- bigger and powerful than all the ones around her. She couldn’t control her body against the wave’s momentum, and it threw her towards the cliffs.

_ SMACK! _

Rock smashed against her whole front, and she dropped even harder back down. Her head screamed like a bitch. The last thing she could clearly see was the amount of blood churning in the water above her.

The whole world twisted and blurred. Her ears rang hard, and she couldn’t hear anything else. Her eyes rolled back. She felt tired.

But somewhere, in the crevices of her brain, something stopped her: her own thoughts.  _ Don’t you dare black out!  _ she yelled at herself.  _ Get to that beach and don’t be such a pansy! _

“Urg…” Jasper pushed herself up. She returned to air and shook in a breath. She must be in shallow water now…easy to move in. Beach…the beach must be close… She pulled her exhausted limbs despite the growing weakness in her body. So close to the shore, to  _ safety _ .

“ _ You’re not going anywhere, _ ” a voice hissed.

The waves around Jasper rippled. They grew powerful again, and shoved the exhausted Jasper into a tumble. She hit the rocky bed, over and over, kicking up sand and pebbles that tore into her wounds. She skidded into shallower and shallower water, and the waves pulled away, blood going down the rocks with them.

Padded feet stamped up to her. Water parted around them as the feet moved towards her.

Jasper looked up. Behind the distorted world, she saw a woman, or at least she thought so. It was a dainty, humanoid figure, thin with the gentlest curves, and completely naked. But there was also a tail swishing behind it, and sharp claws protruding from webbed fingers. The beast even had fins, all flared across its back.

“ _ I’ll spread your entrails across this beach, _ ” it _ …she???... _ growled through sharp teeth.

Jasper wasn’t even phased by seeing it talk. “You…it was you…” Jasper huffed against the rocks. “Those ponies…. You...caused this...didn’t you…”

“And you’re next.”

“No…I ain’t.”

Jasper swayed to her feet, a feat that took greater effort than expected. Blood dripped on the pebbles below, and she wiped blood away from her brow. “Want me dead…you gotta kill me first,” she slurred. The beast’s eyes widened, but then it broke into laughter.

“You’re already dying. You lost a long time ago, back in that tunnel,” the creature chuckled, amused smile on its lips. It turned its back to her, nonchalantly, tauntingly. “Maybe I’ll just wait for you to die, then gut you later. You’ll still be here.”

“No,” Jasper growled, near begging. “Fight me. Want me dead, prove it fair and square.”

The creature started to stalk away, back into the water.

“Goddammit, I said fight me!” Jasper barked. She swung her arm back as she jumped forward, but lost footing and landed jaw-first on the ground. Everything blacked out for a second, before she forced herself to recover. She whipped her head around. The creature was nowhere in sight.

“Fight me!” Jasper croaked to the lonely surroundings. “We’re not done. Fight me! Fight me! Fight me…fight…me…” Her shouts reduced to mumbles, until she went silent completely.

She remained on the ground in defeat. The tide lapped around her, and she suddenly remembered how cold it was, maybe even colder than before. Shivers wracked through her body.  _ Pansy… _ she called herself, halfheartedly at best. Even being angry at herself was too tiresome.

The world started to fade, and she didn’t even fight it this time. Everything either stopped existing or she grew numb to it. Her breath slowed, and her eyes started to droop; she forgot about the dampness and the cold. She shouldn’t be getting this much slack but she didn’t care. Nothing mattered anymore; nothing existed.

“Jasper?” a voice muffled from behind her. 

Beyond a mile-thick wall of numbness, she felt something touch her back. She didn’t acknowledge it at first, but it got more violent. When her body was being shaken for nearly a minute, she peeked back into reality, through heavy eyelids.

The voice was still miles away, but it was clearer. “Jasper! Aunt Jasper, can you hear me?” Aunt…Jasper… Only her nephew calls her that…

“St…steven?” Jasper mumbled.

“Jasper! Yes it’s me, your nephew, it’s okay, I’m here. It’s gonna be okay.” His voice was shaking somewhat. Something tightened around her forehead. His shirt was off, and the blood on her head stopped dripping. He was pressing a coat against her neck.

Blood…she was bleeding…for a reason….

“Ste..ven…”

“Don’t go anywhere, okay? I’m gonna get help.”

“Steven…no…” Her voice barely escaped her lungs.

“Don’t fall asleep, okay? Stay awake. I’ll be back as fast as I can. Can you hold this while I’m gone?” He guided her hand to the back of her neck, and pressed it firmly against the fabric above. “Hold it just like this and don’t move it, okay?”

“Steven…” She pushed her voice just a little harder, to be more audible. “Steven.”

“Yes, Jasper?”

“Don’t…get help. Leave…but don’t come back.” The talk was exhausting, but she had to finish. “It…the thing…will…ki…” The universe swayed again.

Arms draped around her. More shaking. “Jasper! I know it’s hard, but don’t fall asleep right now! Jasper!” Jasper blinked awake again. Steven continued. “I need to go, but please stay awake! Please! I’m getting help, I’ll be right back!” He stood up and his feet kicked away. A dimming lamp stood beside her, reducing to darkness in the rain, beneath some shrubs she somehow got moved to.

“No…Steven, no!” Jasper croaked. The thing…that thing…. No…. Don’t let anyone….

The world faded to black before she could stop him.

**Author's Note:**

> Lapis is a jerkhole and we have very little idea how mines actually work, whoops.


End file.
